Even In War, Abuse Inexcusable

February 14, 2002

In war, mistakes happen. Civilians get hurt. But no civilized nation writes off allegations of brutality by its soldiers as an acceptable cost in the pursuit of ridding the world of bad characters. In that respect, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was right in ordering an investigation of claims by Afghan civilians that they were beaten by U.S. special forces.

On Jan. 24, U.S. forces raided a school and the local police headquarters in an Afghan village after apparently receiving faulty intelligence. The Pentagon has conceded that at least 15 Afghans were killed in the nighttime raid.

Another 27 men were captured in the raid and held 16 days. Upon their release, four of the men, including the local police chief, said American soldiers beat them so severely that some lost consciousness and suffered cracked ribs and loosened teeth. They said an American officer apologized for having wrongfully detained them.

At a time when the United States is trying to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people, it would be tragic, indeed, if Americans were perceived not as liberators, but as abusers who mistreat their hosts.

If the Pentagon's investigation produces evidence that rogue soldiers or officers assaulted or mistreated prisoners, the government should punish the wrongdoers and apologize to the victims.